title: Virulence factors of Candida albicans isolates from the oral cavities of HIV-1-positive patients.
abstract: The present study assessed the phenotypic aspects of oral-cavity Candida albicans isolates from 300 HIV-1- positive patients, relating the most commonly investigated virulence factors (enzyme typing and germ-tube formation) to the most common morphotypes. The samples were seeded into specific media for isolation and subsequent identification using the automated Vitek 2 system. The following assays were performed for phenotypic characterization: morphotyping, germ-tube formation and enzyme typing. Out of 300 collected samples, 144 tested positive for yeasts of the Candida genus, 98 (32.7 %) of which were identified as C. albicans. The latter samples were attributed to seven different morphotypes; the three most common morphotypes were 7208 (49 %), 7308 (14.3 %) and 3208 (13.3 %). All of the C. albicans isolate samples formed germ tubes and produced the enzymes proteinase and phospholipase, with an activity classified as intermediate to high. Due to the identification of virulence factors among the analyzed samples, monitoring of HIV-1-positive patients colonized by different morphotypes must be established because these morphotypes are extremely pathogenic and can trigger severe fungal infections.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Virologia, Rua Augusto Correa no. 1, 66075-910, Belem, Para, Brasil. vallinoto@ufpa.br.
authors.forename: Tatiany O A
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Luciana C S
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Gillet
authors.forename: Sílvio A F
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Rosimar N M
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Feitosa
authors.forename: Marluísa O G
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ishak
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ishak
authors.forename: Sílvia H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Marques-da-Silva
authors.forename: Antonio C R
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Vallinoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000382:microbiology*; D060085:Coinfection / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010641:Phenotype; D010740:Phospholipases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000254:growth & development; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors; D010740:Phospholipases; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases